Turkish Airlines Plans March Decision on 100-Plane Order

By Ercan Ersoy -
Feb 1, 2013

Turkish Airlines (THYAO) plans to decide next
month on an order for about 100 single-aisle planes as the
state-controlled carrier links more destinations to win transit
passengers and increases short-haul services from Istanbul.

“We are working hard on the decision” as the carrier
considers models available, Chairman Hamdi Topcu said in an
interview today during a tour by journalists of the company’s
flight-training center in Istanbul. Turkish Airlines will also
probably buy another five twin-aisle Airbus SAS A330-300s,
adding to a current order for 15, he said.

The airline, formally known as Turk Hava Yollari AO,
outlined plans in November for the single-aisle aircraft
purchase. The carrier is working to expand its fleet by about 70
percent to 350 planes in 2023, it said today. That includes
purchases of wide-body jets for use on routes aimed at luring
transfer traffic between Europe and Asia away from Air France-
KLM Group (AF), Deutsche Lufthansa AG and British Airways. (IAG)

Boeing Co. (BA), the world’s biggest planemaker, plans to offer
an upgraded version of its best-selling 737 single-aisle
airliner in 2017, two years after Toulouse, France-based Airbus
SAS (EAD) is scheduled to release a re-engined version of its
competing A320. Bombardier Inc. (BBD/B) is developing the CSeries model
in an effort to break the Boeing-Airbus duopoly.

Turkish Airlines plans to operate 226 planes by the end of
this year, Topcu said. He didn’t specify any models or
manufacturers that the carrier is looking at for the 100-plane
order. Chief Executive Officer Temel Kotil said in November that
“all possibilities” are being considered.

After Topcu spoke about the expanded order for larger
planes, the company said it will buy two A330-300s in 2014 and
has options to take delivery of three in 2015 and 2016.